Harold was mildly scowling at that point. All the microaggressions that these [i]kids[/i] have been casting his way, coupled with the proposal of so much pseudo-tactical babble which no self-respecting Naval Academy would ever teach were piling up and getting to him. However, he did think that Lora's proposal of smaller maneuver elements to a larger dispersed squad to be reasonable, while Roger's ideas regarding unit composition seemed like rubbish that only a civilian would come up with. They made sense at the squad level, but with fireteams of only three members?

But then again, Framewerks were a different kind of weapons system. Perhaps Roger's proposal wasn't so unreasonable. Time would tell.

Ariin said that he'd received all kinds of combat training. But God Almighty, he talked like he learned nothing of soldiery in the several years he claimed he'd been educated that way.

And then Sigma, the silver-haired fourteen year old girl, performed an act that was more at home in a movie set than in real life. Her grace and skill and purposeful swiftness were simply [i]perfect[/i] as she crouched and leaped and kicked - only for her foot to stop with but a mere inch of space between Harold's chin and her heel.

The former lieutenant was perfectly rigid at this point, never having moved or flinched. He shadowed the diminutive Sigma with his greater height, blue eyes peering down at the girl with a steely gaze. His expression was mostly impassive but the minor wrinkles gave off his [i]extreme[/i] annoyance. Perhaps there was even anger. But then, after a pregnant and almost explosive pause, his shoulders slackened, and he sighed heavily. His hand slowly reached to the back of his neck and rubbed it tiredly.

"Alright," he said in a resigned tone, while eyeing Sigma and Ariin in particular. "I'm sure you kids are confident enough in your training and bloodlines and cybernetic enhancements and such, that you'd know the best way to fight, and be offended at the slightest questioning of your skill. I suggest that you don't bring the same arrogance when you finally face the Aliens in battle. They show off better than Sigma here, and leave people far more speechless than you just saw me."

"I'm not patronizing you. What I say is just how it is. Until then," he leaned back against the wall, suddenly regretting his lacks of cigarettes, "if anyone wants my opinion, I'll be here."